self portrait dress

#1: It uses lace in the most innovative ways

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The three-year-old brand has distinguished itself with its clever use of patterned lace. Its most famous style, the Azalea dress, is covered in floral lace with contrast lining. He’s even applied it as a motif onto bomber jackets.

#2: It strikes the perfect balance between femininity and modernity

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The brand’s Malaysia-born founder Han Chong (above), a graduate of the prestigious Central St Martins, has a knack for mixing materials and textures in his pieces. Where most lace dresses would be considered girly, his are infused with an edgy, youthful vibe.

#3: The brand’s pieces frequently sell out

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The brand has enjoyed phenomenal growth in the short span of three years. A Business Of Fashion interview states that it attracted over 250 stockists all over the world in just over a year, including department store Selfridges London and online shopping site Matches. In that same interview, Chong also revealed that Self-Portrait sold out on Net-A-Porter in two hours when it launched on the e-tailer last February.

#4: It’s successfully bridged the gap between high street and designer brands

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Self-Portrait’s price point – dresses usually cost upwards of US$410 (S$569) – has positioned it nicely between high street labels and designer brands, a gap that Chong wanted to fill when establishing the brand. It’s a price point the brand maintains even while using high quality materials like guipure lace.

#5: A-list celebrities are amongst its biggest fans

 

 

Celebrities like Beyonce and Madonna have stepped out in his designs, and current First Lady Michelle Obama also wore a custom-made design from the brand when she attended the Spouses of Government Leaders event during the UN General Assembly in September.

The Self-Portrait Spring/Summer 2017 collection will show on Sunday, 30 October, 7:30pm at the National Gallery.

Images: Showbit.com

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